At last, someone turned the heating up

Saturday was an awful day with heavy rain/sleet and feeling very cold for most of the day, it felt more like January than May.

The forecast was for the rain to clear late afternoon, which it did. Janet and I headed to the patch to see if anything had dropped in. When we arrived it was still cold and damp but within half an hour, the wind moved into the south and the temperature increased by about seven degrees, it was almost as if someone had turned the heating up.

The rain hadn't dropped nay passerines in, a few swifts moved through though. We walked along the beach and 12 Sanderling flew north in nice breeding plumage. Whimbrel called overhead but nothing like Mark Eaton's incredible count of 120 or more at dusk the day before. 

A few more breeding birds have young now. Some of the Canada and Greylag Geese have goslings, a Moorhen attended to four recently hatched young and there were five Lapwing youngsters in field northwest of the coal road.

A couple of mammal photos for a change.

European Rabbit on the Budge fields

Roe deer bouncing through the Teasels

This morning felt much more spring-like. A warmish sou'westerly bringing the temperature up nicely, enough to entice some insects out at last. There were lots of Hawthorn flies out along the path to the hide and some other bits and bobs.

Drinker Moth caterpillar

Common Carder Bee

Noon Fly

Gorse Shieldbug

Gooden's Nomad Bee

This hoverfly wasn't on the path to the hides, but along the edge of the Dunbar Burn on Common Scurvy Grass - Platycheirus clypeatus agg which is new for the patch

A Garganey pair on the Budge fields still and a few Dunlin and 11 Whimbrel lifted off the fields and headed north, leaving a single bird behind. A single Wheatear was the only migrant passerine on the Budge fields.

Wheatear

Off they go - six of the Whimbrel

A very vocal Sedge Warbler by the path to the hides as attracted the attention of the Toggers. 

In full flow - signing male Sedge Warbler

This evening I had an uneventful look on the sea. No new terns were added to the list. A few Gannets and six summer-plumaged Red-throated Divers were on the sea. 

Now for something stoatally different

I squeezed a quick visit to the patch in this morning before work. Reports of icterine warbler on the Farnes and several pied flycatchers along the coast had my hopes built up.

All I managed was a garden warbler. Always nice to see at Druridge and can be missed some years. There were lots of 'wheeting' willowchaffs and few sedge warblers in the bushes.

As I drove along the road, heading for work, I saw a stoat dragging a big rabbit across the road in front of me. I was quickly out of the car and taking photo's. The stoat didn't seem to mind me, more keen on dragging, the still alive and kicking (and screaming!), rabbit off the road. 

It takes some effort to drag a rabbit that is nearly three times your mass

A woman in a silver car had no time for the stoat, rabbit or me, and zoomed by giving me 'evils' as she passed. The stoat was soon back though, managing to haul the rabbit of the road.

Some cyclists and a dog walker didn't deter the stoat from its mission. (Mr cyclist remarked to Mrs cyclist "did you see the red squirrel" as they sped by). This gave me an opportunity to swap sides for a better view, to photograph the stoat finally coming back to drag it's breakfast, which was now dead,  into the long grass.

Coming back for another go

sneaking up

stealth like

it's mine now!

When the angry woman in the silver car scared the stoat away and the rabbit was still moving but obviously debilitated, I did think about putting it out of it's misery, but I thought better of it, that was the the stoat's job.

There'll be no blog posts this weekend. I'm off to the Birdfair. If you're going, do pop by by and say hi. I'll be on the Birdwatching Northumberland stand in Marquee 1 stands 53/54.